I believe one of the most important leadership traits we can cultivate is the ability to inspire others. Organizationally, we long for inspirational leaders who have the courage to show up authentically- speak their truths honestly, who are willing to learn from us and who are not afraid to show that they care about us as people.

In this competitive and fear based world we live in and that also permeates many organizations, it is pretty hard to be an inspirational leader if you’re fearful for yourself, your position, your results, your reputation, etc. Also, as an employee, it is difficult to be inspired when your heart is full of fear. Outdated models of leadership have focused on fear based motivation to ‘get’ people to perform and although it may work in the short term, it is not sustainable. Ultimately, fear flattens people’s performance, energy, creativity and spirit.

Illustrious leaders inspire others from their heart, not fear. Nearly all great leaders have undergone transformations in their own personal growth that has shifted their ‘being-ness’ as leaders. That is, the focus of that shift has been primarily about who they are and how they are being with others as opposed to a focus only on “getting the job done.” I’ve witnessed many leaders become more heartful in their approach yielding a great positive impact on their people.

Who you are is how you lead. Engaging with others from a caring intention inspires people to step up to their own possibilities and encourages them to grow more fully into their potential~ naturally this greatly impacts performance. We can all learn how to be more effective at communicating in a way that inspires, stimulates and brings out the best in others. Whether we are CEO’s, executives, employees, spouses, parents, or entrepreneurs we can all embrace the call to inspire and lift others up!

We all need to be inspired and to inspire others. After all, would you rather be married to someone who inspires you all the time or who criticizes you or promotes fear in you all the time? Would you rather work for a boss who inspires you or one who instills fear in you? It’s simple.

Who will you inspire today?